Wedding Lights We designed these little mini-light covers with wedding clipart, but they can be used for just about anything! Put any type of clipart on them you like to match any special occasion, or even no special occasion! How about fish clipart for an outdoor summer get-together, or flags and fireworks clipart for that Fourth of July barbecue, or birthday art for a special birthday celebration? The possibilities are endless. And once you get used to using the backlight film (which will be available on Crafty's site within the week), you can design other shapes for the light covers! We added some "microfine" glitter to the areas around the clipart to give it some added sparkle. Just let you imagination run wild! And we've included the template for this particular shape light cover. Just click on the link below. When the template page opens, right click on the image and from the drop down menu select "Save Picture As…" and choose either .GIF or .BMP as the image type and save it to the directory of your choice. So pull those Christmas lights out of storage, dust them off and get ready to make a project that will have your friends and family amazed at your computer crafting savvy! MATERIALS Backlight film (available in our Products>Fun Papers section within the week) Scissors Double stick tape Single hole punch String of mini-lights Microfine glitter (optional) White glue for glitter (optional) Small artist's paint brush for glue application (optional) INSTRUCTIONS 1) Open a blank page in your graphics program in portrait orientation. Import the wedding lights template onto your page and resize so that it measures 4.32" wide X 3.16" high. This measurement insures that the covers will not be butting up against one another when you put them on the lights since some light strings these days have the lights fairly close together.) 2) Place whatever clipart you choose onto the side sections of the light covers and angle the clipart so that it is aligned properly on each of the segments. Group the template and clipart. 3) Copy and paste the template so that you have four copies on one page. 4) Print one test page on plain paper. Cut out one of the templates and fold on all lines. NOTE: Snip the point off the top of the triangle furthest away from the square tab, which is the top of the cover. This will insure that the tip of that triangle will not get in the way when you go to push the light bulb through. You'll see what we mean when we get to Step 7! 5) Apply double stick tape to the underside of the square tab and a small piece to the outside of the side tab. Now begin to attach the triangle tabs to the double stick tape on the underside of the square tab one at a time. DO NOT ATTACH THE LAST TRIANGLE TAB THAT YOU SNIPPED THE TOP OFF! 6) Holding the final side segment out of your way, punch a hole with your single hole punch through the square tab at the top of the cover. Most single hole punches are 1/4" and this may be a tiny bit tight for the bulbs, so we suggest that you double punch, with the second punch slightly offset from the first to make the hole a tiny bit larger. This will make it much easier to push the bulb through from the inside of the cover. 7) Once you have punched the hole, you can attach the final triangle tab - the one you snipped - as well as the side tab. 8) Pull a bulb, complete with the holder, from the string of lights. Push the bulb and holder through the hole from the inside of the light cover and reinsert the bulb with the attached cover into the socket base on the light string. 9) If the fit is good, you can go ahead and print the covers on the backlight film. MAKE SURE YOU PRINT ON THE DULL SIDE OF THE FILM! The picture will show through on the clear side, which will be the outside of your light cover. Print as many as you need for the number of bulbs on your string. 10) Proceed as you did from Step 4, making certain that you crease the folds well with your fingernail. Backlight film creases nicely it you use your fingernail. A scoring blade is not recommended for this project, as it may cut through the film. 11) If you will be using the glitter option, apply it after you have assembled the light covers. Using the fine artist's paintbrush, apply white glue sparingly (you can dilute with water if necessary) around your clipart on all four sides of the light cover. 12) Sprinkle the microfine glitter over the each side and tap from the inside to remove any excess. Set each cover on a flat surface to allow the glue to set and dry thoroughly - usually about 15 minutes. Then insert the covers on the light string as described in Step 8. That's it! Hang these lights inside or out for a special effect at any party or get- together. If you'll be using them at a wedding, the perfect place to string these lights is around the edge of the table for the bridal party. Or for other occasions hang them on your deck fence, around your patio, or even on your Christmas tree with some holiday clipart!